Portable railway



omma.) G. THOMAS- PORTABLE RAILWAY. No. 257,410. Patented May 2,1882.

0 m i s W N i lllllllll HHIIIIIHHIIIIIIII HI WITNESSES: I

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES- PATENT, OFF E.

GEORGE W. THOMAS, OF FUSELIER, HOME PLACE, LOUISIANA.

PORTABLE RAILWAY.-

SPECIFICA'IIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,410, dated May 2, 1882, Application filed July .26, 1881. (No modeLl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. THOMAS, of Fuselier Home Place, in the parish of St. Mary and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Portable Railway, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved portable railway which is light, strong, and durable, and can be builtor removed very rapidly and easily.

The invention consists in a. railway formed of portable track-sections, the wooden rails of which have their ends beveled to fit against the beveled ends of the next section, these sections being provided at one end with cleats to receive the ends of the other rails. The upper and inner surfaces of the wooden rails are protected by an iron angle-bar.

The invention furtherconsistsin a turn-table formed of a platform fittingon and between the rails and carrying a revolving frame with two rail-pieces havingbevels atone end and staples at the other end, into which staples hooks at the upper end of a section formed with beveled rails are hooked, so that aear can be transported upon the turn-table very coi'iveniently.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of several sections of my improved portable railway. Fig. 2 is a plan of the ar rangement of the same on a plantation. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of one of the rails. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the turn-table and the beveled tracksection hooked thereto. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation on the line as m, Fig. 4..

Similar letters of reference .indicate corresponding parts.

The ends of the rails A are beveled or cut off diagonally, as shown in Fig. 4, and one end of each rail is provided with cleats B B, which are attached to the tie or sleeper O at each side of the rail. The sections are so constructed that both rails will have the sockets thus formed of the beveled end of the rails and the cleats at one end of the section only, the ends of the rails at the other end of the section fitting into the sockets of the rails of the preceding or succeeding section. The top of the rails A and the inner side of the same are covother end.

ered and protected by an angle-iron, D, se- 50 cured on the railand having a rounded upper surface or head, on which the wheels run.

Theturn-table consists of a base-plate, E, with two side strips, F, and a heavy central beam, G, on the under side, the side strips being so located that their outer edges will rest against'the inner edges of the rails A when the base-plate E rests upon the rails, and the beam G will rest on the ground between the rails. This base-frame is provided with acentral pin, H, projecting from its upper surface, this pin passing through the middle beam of a frame, J, provided with braces K, to which small wheels L, supporting the frame J, are pivoted. This frame J carries two rails, I, provided with a bevel, M, at one end, to form an inclined way, and thereby permit of the cars passing from the said rails to the main rails with safety, and with staples N at the Two short beveled track-pieces, O O, are united by braces and bars I and have hooks Q at their higher end.

In the diagram Fig. 2 B is the sugar-house. S are the cane-fields subdivided by passages or roads, in which the railway runs. There is one main line, V, of the railway, and from this main lineV the branches W run, and they again are provided with branch roadsX.

The tracks are composed of several sections, which are united by passing the ends of one section into the sockets in the end of the other section, 850 At the corners and branches it will be necessary to provide a turn-table. However, one turntable will answer for many corners and branches, as the turn-table can be moved along the track very conveniently, the strips F F guiding it. The cars run from the ground or from the tracks A up the inclined rails 0 upon therails I I. The frame Jisthen turned more or less, according to the direction the car is to take, the inclined tracks 0 having been previously unhooked from the frame J. The cars roll or slide down the beveled ends M of the rails I upon the rails and are then drawn to the desired place.

- Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent--' 1. In a portable railway, the combination, with the wooden rails A, having their adjacent ends beveled in opposite directions, of the cleats B, attached to the sleepers O at each side of the rail, substantially as shown and described, whereby sockets are formed for the preceding or succeeding section, as set forth.

2. In a portable railway, the combination, with the rails and the rotating frame J, of the base-frame E, provided with the central bearing-beam, G, and the side beams, F, which rest against the sides of the rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a portable railway, the combination,

with the base-frame E and the rails A, of the rotating frame J, provided with the rails I, having beveled ends M and the removable inclined rails O, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a portable railway, the combination, with the inclined removable rails 0, provided with hooks Q, of the rails I, beveled at one end and provided with the staples N at the other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE WASHINGTON THOMAS.

Witnesses:

J. Tom), T. D. FOSTER. 

